The Lilac Tree
by is-something-still-scaring-you
Summary: The Teen Titans are having a breakfast picnic at Jump City Park. Beast Boy thinks this is the perfect time to tell a certain empath how he feels...(based on a song I sang for my choir 2 years ago.) ONESHOT (plus prologue). I'm terrible at summaries. Rated T for language.
1. Prologue

**I do not own Teen Titans or DC Comics.**

**This is my very first fan-fiction. I'm open for some tips on improving and feedback, but yeah, I hope you enjoy. :3**

It was another typical 7:00 am morning in Jump City. The birds were serenading each other in their usual giddy whirl; their wings just a small trace of an assortment of black and white patterns temporarily etched into the spacious blue skies, the sonata of traffic was screeching and sinisterly twisting up the already impatient minds of passengers and pedestrians, and of course, the infamous Teen Titans were still locked up in their sweet slumber and serenity…or so presumed, anyway. Robin's muffled snoring echoed throughout the T-shaped tower causing a still sleeping Starfire to resume her hourly previous round of Tamaranean nursery rhymes…yeah, don't ask. Cyborg was still bundled up under the covers snuggling Mega Monkeys 5 as an attempt to protect it from a certain green teen's excited gloved hands. He definitely didn't want Beast Boy getting a head start on this certain new video game without him. This left 2 titans who may or may not be awake: said changeling himself and our favorite little half-demon, Raven. The latter figure was deep set into her 2nd hour of meditation, the continually repeated phrase of "Azarath Metrion Zinthos" awakening Beast Boy himself from his deep sleep.

_Huh, I guess I should be getting up right now,_ he mused to himself the moment his emerald coated eyes shot open. Blinking a few times, he groggily rubbed the back of his neck and in a walking-dead sort of state, he swung his legs out of his pizza box and sock covered bed and stood up. Ah, what a lovely morning. He yawned softly, turned towards the door, and made his way into the hallway as an attempt to shake the sleep away from him.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos," Raven's chant bounced off her room and into his ears. Excited shivers cascaded down his spine at the sound of her calming voice. Hehe, Raven was awake, his brain happily told himself. Beast Boy felt a smile instinctively curl on his lips. Even the sound of her name was enough to keep him awake at this time of morning. _Raven. _He loved her name and the way it rolled off his tongue, even mentally, so simply and beautifully. _Raven, Raven, Raven, Raven._ It was quite evident to him already and has been for a while now: he liked her. A lot. He liked everything about her from the pristine, porcelain skin that enveloped her entire body to the somewhat short, slightly toned and impressively curvy properties her legs possessed. From the minute he laid his eyes on this mysterious character, he had felt something brim unwillingly inside of him. At the time, he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was…he knew it wasn't love, but it wasn't just mere attraction, either. It didn't help that she had actually called him funny, either. Beast Boy was a bit of a bird brain as he had been told so many times by his former affiliation, The Doom Patrol, so receiving compliments, especially from the empath herself, was kind of new.

"_You know what? You're kind of funny."_ played itself over and over again in his mind like an old-fashioned record player that could not seem to function correctly. She had called him _funny_. _Oh God, why does she do this to me_, he wondered as his mind continued to replay ever single yet lovely moment he experienced with her. It was even worse when they touched. The feeling of her cold skin was too much for the green teen to handle. And that time they hugged? Man, that was really situational. He felt the odd sensation in his heart come back to him as it continued to thud mercilessly. Groaning a little bit too loudly for his tastes, he clutched his chest; not quite noticing the fact that he was standing right in front of Raven's room.

The door abruptly slid open, and Beast Boy let out a very unmanly scream as he came face to face with his lady love. Her usual blank stare was inscripted onto her unamused face as he could feel himself sweat-dropping by the millisecond.

"Uh, h-hey, Rae. I didn't think y-you'd be up this early," was the first sentence scrawled into his head and the first sentence that poured out of his mouth. _Smooth_, he cursed at himself.

She wore the same blank mask on her face. "I'm always up this early. Thanks to you, my meditation has now been ruined." With that, she began floating down the bare hallway and into the commons room.

"Hey, Rae! Wait up!" Like a startled goose, Beast Boy began chasing after her at such a pace that he tripped over a stray video game controller and landed face-first into the couch. "Oof!"

Raven was in the kitchen making her tea and of course, decided to comment on Beast Boy's blunder. "Faster than the speeding turtle, I see. With some practice, you'll win a marathon and destroy a whole city all in one take," she drawled in her sarcastic monologue; the kind that made Beast Boy blush madly.

He scratched the back of his neck nervously and grinned shyly. "Oops, heh heh. My bad."

The empath chose not to respond as she took the beverage in one hand and a book in another and began the descent back into her room. Unfortunately for her, she was interrupted by the arising of Starfire, Robin, and Cyborg.

"Friend Raven, why are you returning to your sleeping quarters? You have barely just awoken," Starfire questioned stopping Raven dead in her tracks.

"Yeah, girl. Don't you wanna have some breakfast with your best buds?" Cyborg inquired. An "mhm!" was uttered out of Beast Boy's mouth as Robin nodded his head in agreement. "Yes, Raven. You spend too much time alone. It'd be nice to spend more time with your teammates."

The empath defeatedly shrugged with a huff and floated back to the couch next to Beast Boy who was still crimson all over. _Get a grip, dude,_ he thought to himself. _It's just Raven. Why do you care, anyways? She's mean to you and creepy, and all she wants to do is lock herself up in her room and read one of those nasty old books. _He repeated those statements to himself while trying to muster up the courage to look at her _without _getting a whoozy feeling bubbling up inside of him. He saw a small smile begin a crescendo on her face as she turned a page of her book, and he immediately looked away and felt the butterflies in his stomach flap their wings faster and faster. She just _smiled_. Raven hardly smiled at all, and he had almost forgotten how it felt like when she did. It was the most magical thing, really; to witness this lonely, misunderstood, usually emotionless, and strikingly different girl show any sign of feeling; even if it was just one small little curl of the lips. He loved seeing that smile appear on her perfect little features and secretly wished that he could be the reason for one of those smiles; that he could make her laugh…that she could spare one, just one, glimmer of a smile just for him. Maybe then-

His innermost thoughts were interrupted with the sound of Starfire squealing in her typical girly and enthused voice. "Oh, boyfriend Robin! A picnic breakfast _would _be most glorious at this time of morning! It would be the most perfect moment for Raven and us 4 to do the 'hanging out'!" A bone-crushing hug was sent in Robin's way as finally, Raven dug her nose out of William Shakespeare's "The Tempest".

"A picnic?" she questioned, her voice unwavering with its usual lack of inflection.

Robin bobbed his head up and down in a wimpy little nod. "It'd be ideal, actually. Like I've said before, you hardly ever spend any time with us. Being alone too much has to be unhealthy for people…even you, Raven." At this, Raven let out a frustrated puff of air in a way of saying _you-don't-know-me_ and attempted at concentrating in finishing another page in her book while Starfire and Robin began to sort through the kitchen of the necessary supplies needed for their picnic adventure.

_A picnic, huh? _ Beast Boy thought as joy surged through his veins.

"Yeah, Rae! Come on, it'll be lots of fun! I'll make you your lunch, too!" the changeling exclaimed.

Cyborg grinned. "Yeah, Raven! I'll even let you drive the T-Car…if you're careful. I don't want you hurtin' my baby."

Beast Boy furrowed his brows. "Duuude, what is your deal? You'll let_ her_ drive the T-Car but not me? Does the term 'best friends' mean anything anymore?"

Cyborg waved his comment off with a mechanical arm as Raven just crossed her legs; her eyes trying to scan her book in peace.

Beast Boy seized this opportunity to playfully nudge the empath in the ribcage. She glowered at him, but he didn't seem to notice. "Come on, Rae. You know you wanna spend more time with meeeee." He bared his teeth into an excruciatingly large grin, his stray fang sparkling at Raven's unenthusiastic stature. She secretly found this facial expression of his quite adorable.

"Don't call me Rae, and no, this picnic will be an extreme waste of my valuable time."

A heartaching frown replaced Beast Boy's former smile. "Come on, Rae..uh, ven! Puh-leeeease! I promise you'll have the best time of your life!" With that, he morphed into a small, feeble, but still green colored kitten and flashed her "The Face". She flashed him a quick glance before returning to the still unfinished page in her book. "Don't look at him", she muttered to herself. "Don't fall for 'The Face'."

Cyborg decided to join them on the couch, sliding in on Raven's left. "Oh, Raven. You know you can't resist the face." He put on his best impersonation of a frightening character you would find in a horror movie. "No one can resist 'The Face'!"

Beast Boy the Kitten hopped into Raven's unprepared lap and purred persuasively. The violet-haired teen rolled her eyes and reluctantly began to stroke the kitten's fur. "Fine. Whatever."

Starfire and Robin looked up from their pantry raid, grins illuminating their faces while Cyborg smiled in triumph. "YESSSSSSS!" they all cheered.

Not realizing he was still inhabiting a spot in Raven's lap, Beast Boy morphed back into his normal form. "Awesooooome!" he declared. His victory cheer was cut short when a glare from Raven penetrated through his soul, sending perturbed shivers down the changeling's spine.

"What?" he questioned innocently, completely oblivious to the crime being committed.

A faint blush began to blossom on Raven's pale cheeks as she tried to maintain the icy glare she currently wore. "You. Are. Sitting. In. My. Lap."

It was then Beast Boy's turn to flush scarlet once more. "Uh, haha, I'm sorry about that." He hurriedly glided out of her lap and onto the position in the couch he had acquired before the whole kitten situation.

Cyborg was still seated on the couch with them as a smirk began to drip off from the corners of his smug mouth. "Beast Boy and Raven sitting in a tree…"

Beast Boy fought the urge to grin. _Huh, he read my mind_, he mused. The book fell from Raven's grip as the red on her face began to glow fervently. "Stop it," she scowled frigidly.

"F-U-C-K-I—"

Poor Cyborg did not get to finish his sentence because before he could belt out the last two letters, he heard an "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" and soon enough, a football, soccer ball, and a hockey stick took a full-on collision with his previously smug-looking face. Robin snapped out of his sandwich making phase and made his way to the couch in order to control the madness unfolding before him.

_Wow, _Beast Boy thought._ That escalated quickly. Boy, I'm just really glad that Raven agreed to the whole picnic thing. Ooooh, this is your moment, man. You've felt this way about Raven ever since you first met. Maybe this was your moment to tell her, maybe you won't have to hide it anymore, maybe she'll actually-_

His pointed ears drooped intensely, and his heart sank in a Titanic-like manner as he tried to finish the rest of that thought, mindless to the Raven/Cyborg/Robin brawl occurring in the background. _Who am I kidding? Raven…Raven would never_ like me out of all people. _She was always putting me down or trying to ignore me every time I try and do something nice for her or just try to get her attention in general. We've had some moments, I know, but…whatever, maybe I shouldn't tell her._

Beast Boy couldn't help but sigh as he mentally began hitting himself in the face. _Stupid, stupid, stupid. I wish I was good enough for her. _He sighed once more as he began thinking of ways for her to develop mutual feelings towards him.

While Starfire and Robin were in some sort of silly, yet nonetheless heated debate over whether to put mustard in the 3 layer sponge cake being made for the picnic, Cyborg addressed a vital question regarding the said picnic.

"So,_ where_ exactly are we gonna have this breakfast picnic?"

Starfire dropped the bottle of mustard in her hand, and it landed on the floor with a_ squlsh_. "I do not know." She turned to face her beloved Boy Wonder. "Boyfriend Robin, where are the 5 of us going to partake in our breakfast food celebration?"

Robin grinned sheepishly, still slightly new and adjusting to the whole "relationship" thing with Star. "Hmm…I'm not sure. Raven, what do you think?"

Currently not reading her book, Raven was sprawled onto the couch, her legs, to Beast Boy's delight, on his lap merely shrugged in a carefree manner. "Do I look like I know about picnic locations?" She picked up her book and flipped over to where she left off last time.

"True, true," Robin agreed. His eyes shot up to look towards the ceiling in order to contemplate on possible ideas for the picnic's location. "Hmm…how about Jump City Park? It's really close by, and it's probably going to be kind of empty over there." He glanced at his watch and found himself smiling a little bit. "After all, it's only 7:20 am."

Beast Boy's eyes practically bulged out of their sockets, disturbing Raven's attempt to resume her reading. "Duuuude, no way! I woke up that early?"

"No. Not at all," Raven grimaced as she slammed her book with an earshattering "thwack". _It's official. I give up reading in this unfitting environment_, she thought irritably.

Beast Boy uplifted his lips into another sheepish smile as he looked at his love interest one more time before finally standing up to get ready for the picnic. He filed out of the commons room and into his own bedroom where the battle and uprising panic for "what to wear" struck his mind dreadfully. _I have to impress Raven. If today's gonna be the day she finds out, I at least have to look decent for rejection. _He began sorting through the racks of clothes he owned.

"All right, team," Robin commanded. "We have to be ready within the next 2 hours."

"Two hours to make breakfast? Easy peasy," Cyborg confirmed, already heading into the kitchen.

Starfire beamed at her boyfriend. "Glorious! I will go ahead and prepare my favorite Tamaranean breakfast foods!" The 3 Titans shot each other unsure and nervous glances as her tall, lean figure immediately zoomed to the stove.

Raven slumped her shoulders and clasped the book to her chest. "Well, I can't cook, so I might as well get ready." A sigh was released from her small lips as she began the walk, err, flight, back to her room.

Robin nodded in agreement. "That's the spirit. Alright, then. Titans go!"

And within the blink of an eye, our heroes' home was buzzing with the sound of microwaves beeping, toasters screaming, recalcitrant laughter, and the sound of Starfire's joyous 1000-versed hymns.

**Um, well hopefully this wasn't too bad for a first chapter of my first fanfic. This was originally supposed to be a one-shot, so I guess you can say this is the prologue to the one-shot..? Eh, I don't know. Well, stick around for some updates! Don't forget to review!**


	2. The Lilac Tree

**Okay, here is the real deal! I DO NOT OWN "TEEN TITANS", "The Lilac Tree", OR DC COMICS.**

The sun was shining eminently in all of its radiant glory as the 5 super-powered teens arrived at Jump City Park. As Robin had accurately predicted, the park was indeed empty, disregarding an old couple in their 60s merrily sitting on a bench due west of the park's entrance.

Beast Boy turned his head to stare at the man and woman hand in hand on the bench; the woman's head nestled lovingly onto the man's frail shoulders as he gazed into her sapphire colored eyes adoringly. The changeling felt a grin creep onto his face. _I hope Raven and I end up like them one day_, he remarked mentally. Secretly, he had always had that wish that one day, he would cross paths with the perfect girl, and she would be "the one"; his soul mate; that they'd be together forever and not in the clichéd 3 months relationships most of his peers shared. Sometimes when he was snuggled under the somewhat smelly covers of his bed, he'd often ponder if Raven was that girl. He shook the thought away glumly. _Yeah, right. She'd never like a little immature grass stain like you,_ he sighed. An image of him and Raven in their 60s occupied his already daydream state-of-mind as he tried to grasp the feeling of Raven's petite form cuddling close to him; her short, silky hair sweeping exquisitely across his shoulders and her pale as she stared at him with her eyes of brilliant, twinkling violet orbs, slender fingers laced into his…

"Yo, BB! Catch!" Beast Boy's most yearned for fantasy was precipitously interrupted by a deep voice beckoning to him and the pang of a red Frisbee hitting him smack-dab in the forehead.

Almost immediately, Beast Boy's newly-injured head shot up in order to face the culprit. Cyborg was grinning cheesily and sweat-dropping wildly.

"Agh, duuuude! Not cool," Beast Boy groaned as he self-consciously began to rub his forehead. He could feel a slight pain searing into his head; his fingers running over a slight protuberance. A glare replaced the mask of irritability.

"Oops," was all the mechanical man could muster.

"I'm so gonna get you for that," Beast Boy declared, ambition hinted in his voice. He scooped up the plastic disk and threw it into the magnificent blue skies. He and Cyborg then began running to the other side of the park to continue their fun-filled Frisbee war.

Starfire, Robin, and Raven continued to walk further into the park's grassy green fields until they saw a little gray fountain that did not seem to sprout water from itself correctly. Two baby angels about the size of a newborn puppy sat at the top of said fountain holding harps in an odd gesture.

"Okay, team. Let's set up here," Robin decided. He crouched down and set their oversized picnic basket at the foot of the unusual fountain and began unpacking the treasures the basket concealed inside of it.

"This is a most wondrous location for our breakfast feast, boyfriend Robin!" Starfire chirped as she began to unfold the red and white checkered picnic blanket secured safely under one of her lean arms. She stretched the blanket out, and it made an unappealing _swish, swish_ sound as its cotton texture met the grassy ground. "Ta-da!" she proclaimed throwing her arms into the air with glee.

Robin grinned. "Great job, honey," he commented proudly.

Starfire shot him a puzzled expression. "What is this 'honey' you speak of? Am the sweet nectar the bee-folk produce in their hives?"

The Boy Wonder turned slightly red at her naïve question but immediately shook it off and couldn't help but grin a tiny bit.

_That's my girlfriend, alright,_ Robin chuckled to himself. "Never mind, Star."

The redheaded alien princess turned crimson and nodded. "Okay, boyfriend Robin. Shall I assist you in the unpacking of the delicacies?"

Her boyfriend nodded his head. "Go ahead." Starfire giggled blithely and took out a bundle of grapes from their picnic basket.

"Yay," Raven simply stated as she began walking off with her unfinished book in her grasp. _Perhaps I will find a quiet section in this disturbingly cheery atmosphere_, she thought with slight hope lurking inside of her.

Robin quickly looked up from the task at hand, err, glove. "Where are you heading off to?" he questioned the walking empath.

Raven spun around to face him and shrugged. "I don't know; somewhere away from here." She turned back around and resumed her pace to the "somewhere away from here" she spoke of.

"But friend Raven, this picnic is supposed to be a picnic of togetherness with you, friend Beast Boy, friend Cyborg, boyfriend Robin, and I, not a picnic of solitude," Starfire interjected. She dropped the plate of tofu bacon in her hands and hurried to grab Raven by the arm, much to her extreme chagrin.

"Well, what if I don't want to?" Raven questioned roughly, her expression hardening a little bit. She loved her friends to bits and pieces, yes, but hanging out wasn't exactly a pastime of hers. _I wish I could have some peace and quiet around here_, she thought to herself with a delicate sigh.

Robin took out the last of the food dishes and shoved the now-empty picnic basket aside. "Star's right. Raven, we did all of this for you."

Starfire began to violently tug on her friend's arm like a little kid who didn't get the doll she was eyeing at the store. "Yes, friend Raven! Do you not appreciate what we have all done for our friendship?" A frown began to replace the smile previously glazed onto her face.

Raven's expression softened but still remained blank. "You know I _do_ appreciate what you guys have done for me," she started. "And I mean, I guess I'll try to…_hang out_ with you guys a little more." Her tone began to get a smidge more exasperated. "But is it okay if I have _some_ alone time? Maybe just 5 to 10 minutes?"

Starfire dropped Raven's aching arm and shot up into the air like a stray bullet. "Oh, most fantastic and wonderful! We will have the most fun! I shall tell you Tamaranean fairy tales and entertain you with traditional Tamaranean folk songs!" Starfire gasped and began to fly around merrily in a semi-circle. "And then I shall teach you my favorite Tamaranean dances! Oh, the fun has been doubled, my friends!"

Starfire's beatific rant began to continue through the ears of Robin and Raven as Robin nodded his head. "Alright, Raven. We'll give you 10 minutes. After that, it's breakfast time, and you have to-"

"Hang around the 4 of you. I know, I know," Raven couldn't help but sigh just a little bit as he began to quick flight to a quieter corner of the park. It's not that she hated any of her friends…no, not at all. She was just more of the quiet and reserved individual. Even in comparison to the Boy Wonder himself, she was definitely the most independent out of all of them. Perhaps it was her dry and unfulfilling childhood or the fact that her parents were just simply never there to open her eyes to the joys of friends and family, or maybe it was just her nature. Raven would often wonder why she wasn't as spontaneous as most teenagers her age. Sometimes, it would bother her to a great extent; she found herself quite boring at times, too. But other times, she liked the idea of staying away from the crowd…where people got hurt and often transformed into drunk, party monsters.

She finally approached an area of the park a couple of yards away from her teammates. Sitting down on the creaky bench under a ginormous tree ornated with lilacs, she cracked open her book and slowly but surely began to read…

_/A little boy and a little girl in an ecstasy of bliss,/_

"Fetch, doggy," Cyborg commanded as he gave the Frisbee one more forceful throw. Beast Boy, in the form of a green Dalmatian, barked delightedly as he began to frenetically chase after the spinning red disk hurdling in the cool breeze. The disk began its quick descent as finally, the changeling leaped into the air and caught the Frisbee in his mouth, panting lightly as he dropped it on the grass.

Cyborg began to jog to where he was. "Good, doggy," he joked, patting the green canine's head.

Beast Boy morphed back into his human form. "I'm no one's bitch," he retorted as his panting increased rapidly. His heart was thudding at an immense speed. _Wow, I'm worn out already._ He silently cursed at himself for not being more athletic like his robotic friend.

Cyborg picked up the disk with his machine-driven arm. "Wanna go for another run, B?"

Beast Boy's gaze rotated over to a blue dot not too far out in distance. _Oh, it's Raven, _he told himself giddily. _Aww, she looks so lonely…maybe now would be the time to tell her! I mean, it's perfect, right? It's just her and me…sitting on an old park bench under a tree…_

Beast Boy merely shook his head. "Nah, I'm cool, man. We'll play later. IgottagotalktoRavenaboutsome thingyeahisthatokayohokaycoo lbye," Beast Boy finished the remainder of his sentence in a gibberish blur as he zoomed off the where the purple-haired empathy was sitting.

Cyborg grinned as he continued to sing the taunting "fucking" song dedicated to the said green teen and empath. _Man, that boy really is crazy over her,_ he thought as he started walking over to the picnic area.

At last, Beast Boy reached his destination: the park bench his love was occupying. He began to study her intently. _She's beautiful_, was the automatic thought that buzzed dreamily inside of his brain. It wasn't just in the way that Starfire or any typical female actress was beautiful as in physical appearance, but it was also in her own special definition of beautiful. No words could describe this new aspect of beauty, but Beast Boy knew Raven had it: Raven "Rachel" Roth was beautiful.

The butterflies in his stomach began flying around in a delirious trance as some began to flutter towards the cursed organ one would call a heart. They began to tug at his heartstrings with caused his stomach to flip flop in its own gymnastic routine. He opened his mouth to speak.

"Hey, Rae," he squeaked. Not closing the book or making any notion to close it, she simply moved her eyeballs to the side so that she was looking at him.

"What is it, Beast Boy?" she replied, no hint of any sort of emotion apparent in her quiet, yet studious voice.

He gulped down the butterflies trying to close his throat down. _Just speak, man! Tell her how you feel._ His mind was literally screaming its cerebellum off at his unconfident stature.

Not wanting to automatically introduce his large crush on her, he made an attempt at choosing his words carefully with immense caution. "Well, uh, you looked kinda lonely over here, and I wanted to be a good friend and give you company. How do you feel about that?" His legs gained the courage to move, and he slid into the empty space next to her. Seeing that this was not the appropriate time to continue reading, Raven, to Beast Boy's surprise and happiness, closed her book and set it down.

"Ecstatic," she responded in her monotone. Beast Boy simply nodded his head as silence consumed the atmosphere.

"Soooooo…" Beast Boy said, stretching out the O of his "so". He scooted a little bit closer to the teenage empath. She slid her blue hood up. _Tell her, now,_ his brain instructed. _It's the perfect time._

_Not now, _Beast Boy replied, waving away the command.

He flashed a large grin in her direction. "Wanna hear a joke?" he asked cheerily. He was disappointed that she concealed her face to him with that blasted hood of hers, but he continued his attempt at "lightening the mood".

"I'd rather not," she answered as she turned to face him, her hood still up.

She then witnessed the bump on his forehead that Cyborg had unintentionally given him. "Why do you have a bump on your forehead?" she asked curiously.

Taking this as a discreet sign not to begin cracking jokes all over the place, Beast Boy pointed to it tentatively. "Oh, you mean this bad boy? Cyborg threw a Frisbee at me." His cheeks heated up after he realized how embarrassing that was. _She's probably judging me so hardcore right now,_ he thought to himself sadly. _I'm such a screw-up. Stupid, stupid, stupid…_

To his shock, the empath actually chuckled. "It's not my fault you can't catch."

Beast Boy grinned instinctively and tried to subtly scoot a little closer to her. She didn't seem to notice because she still wore the same emotionless expression on her face.

Raven twisted her face into a contorted manner. _Ugh, even when she makes weird faces, she's still beautiful_, Beast Boy groaned to himself. He mentally face palmed and tried to tame the butterflies that persistently still tug-o-war-ed with his heart.

"That bump is bothering me immensely. Here, let me heal it for you." She took a small hand and touched his forehead lightly. Little did they both know that the shivers that slid down their spines was mutual.

_She's touching you, dude. Make. A. Fucking. Move!_ The voice in Beast Boy's Brain continued to urge him on and on and on. He felt his face go warm again.

"Uh, Rae, I think that's enough." He lifted up his arm and grabbed hers at an attempt to stop the healing process. The two locked eyes; Beast Boy's grip still firmly closed around her arm and Raven's dainty fingers still touching Beast Boy's forehead. Both of them saw their previous actions, and in utter embarrassment, the two teens quickly dropped their arms and tried averting glances with each other.

_God._

_/Said the little boy to the little girl, "Pray, give me just one kiss…"/_

"Uh, Raven, is it okay if I tell you something?" the green teen blurted out suddenly and tactlessly. _Dude, what the hell? Speak with your mind first, not your mouth. Stupid, stupid, stupid…_

The girl's thick, perfectly shaped black eyebrows raised a little, a small crease forming on her creamy colored forehead. "Sure..?" she answered, unsureness making a desperate attempt to reveal itself in the bowels of her raspy monotone.

Silence filled the still air as Beast Boy tackled on a sinister struggle with his inner-self in choosing the correct words in formulating his feelings for the empath. _Talk about her eyes…about how you can get lost in that violet paradise forever, or about how perfect and plump her small, pale lips look and how you're dying to press against them with your own_, his mind suggested with a sly wink.

_No, that's stupid,_ Beast Boy snarled mentally. _It's too clichéd,_ anyway.

"Uh," he started, and he felt as if within a matter of 5 seconds, drool would begin to seep out of his slightly dropped jaw. Raven's blank slate of a face changed to one of an amused and almost _exasperated _look. "Look, Beast Boy," she firmly began. "If you have nothing to say to me after all, please leave me be." She then kicked a leg up into a cross legged position and scooped up her book once more. A breeze whooshed by sending strands of Raven's violet hair flying gracefully and Beast Boy's heart pumping with tremendous effort in a lovesick sort of way.

_Oh my gosh. She's so…beautiful_, his mind gasped falling into a hazy daydream. He couldn't take it anymore. For years, Raven was the first thing in his head when he woke up and the last thing in it before he would drift into a peaceful slumber. For years, he had wished that she would laugh her melodious and infuriatingly adorable laugh at one of his allegedly "terrible" jokes. For years, he hoped he could make a smile magically appear on those lips he had tasted in his wildest dreams. For years, he put up with her insults and witty, yet sarcastic and seething remarks in hope that she didn't mean the cruel words that bashed him ruthlessly. For years, he had paced back and forth in the dump entitled "his room"; often thinking of confessing his profound, unconditional emotions for her but not knowing how. For years, he panicked about rejection and whether or not she reciprocated the feelings he possessed for her in his heart.

For years, he was nuts over her.

And now, his mouth was about to somewhat betray him in a sudden twist in events.

"Raven, I love you."

After the "you" had floated seemingly easily out of his system, he clamped a gloved hand over his mouth and slowly sank in his seat and prayed that the purple haired teenager didn't hear his poor choice in words.

"Dude, you really screwed it up this time. Way to go," he muttered angrily as he began mentally thrashing his head against an imaginary pole.

The sound of a book defying gravity and making a hard impact with the ground filled Beast Boy's ears.

"B-Beast Boy..?" Raven questioned, not eyeing him or even _facing _him directly. Her voice was shaking with an apparent nervousness that could not be suppressed no matter how much monotone was attempted to be stirred in. Her face was still engulfed in her blue hood, but he had made an accurate assumption that a blush was washing over her usually monochromatic face.

"Yes?" he squeaked, quickly turning away from her. _Man, this was too awkward_, he groaned to himself. _The last time I did something like this, I was rejected. Then I was in my room thinking of a better way to put it, and BAM! The girl shows up outside my window on flying rocks or some shit. If only I was good at this as good as I am at telling jokes…_

The only response from the shocked Raven was silence.

Beast Boy could feel a frown melting onto his jade colored face. It had been a whole 15 seconds and there was still no answer from the other end of the spectrum.

This was not good.

So he did the unthinkable.

"Raven, do you…"

"Do what?" Raven asked a bit too quickly for both of the teens' tastes.

"Do you like me back?" he blurted out once again, for the umpteenth time within the past few minutes. He finally gained the gift of courage bestowed on him from the gods to take a peek at the hooded figure beside him.

Silence.

Beast Boy looked down and noticed the space lingering between them on the wooden park bench. He scooted in a little closer so that their thighs were brushing lightly against each other in order to fill that gap.

"Here, I'll make it easier for you," he said sweetly. He grabbed her gently by the shoulders and spun her around so that she was facing him. Though her mouth was formed in the typical straight-lined-scowl, her eyes were bigger than the continent of Asia. His hand reached up and pulled her hood down so that her hair fell in shawls around her beet red face. Cupping her face in his hands, he began to inch closer and closer to the confused Titan.

"W-what are you doing?" she whispered hesitantly but could feel herself leaning in, too.

"You'll see," he whispered back, their faces only a mere few inches apart.

_Kiss her,_ Beast Boy's brain demanded.

_Kiss her._

_Kiss her._

_Kiss. Her._

_/The girl drew back in great surprise. "You're a stranger, sir," said she._

"_And I will give you just one kiss when the apples grow on the lilac tree!"/_

There was only a one inch distance between the two teenagers' lips when all of a sudden, Raven jolted back and stood up as if she were infected by an incurable disease.

"Beast Boy," she stated in her drop-dead monotone. "Did you actually think that I was going to…_kiss _you?"

Shock replaced Beast Boy's I'm-about-to-kiss-the-girl-of-my-dreams face. A 300,000 pound weight dropped on top of his already nervous heart crushing into millions of pieces unimaginable. Naturally, his pointed ears drooped drastically as he looked down at the cold ground mocking him insensitively.

"No…" he lied. In the spur of the moment, he had actually believed that they would kiss and that they would live his fantasy…that his dreams would become a reality.'

That she loved him, too.

_I should have known,_ he sighed miserably to himself. _A guy like me could never get a girl like her. Man, this freakin' sucks…no, it's worse than that. I don't even know, this is just terrible…_

But her next few words were words that would drag him down like a deathly burden; filled with complete grief and lachrymose lurking in every side of him at an attempt to seal his impending doom.

"Good," she continued, looking up at the breathtaking lilac tree looming above their heads. "Yes, I would _definitely_ kiss you _and_ return the feelings, Beast Boy," she added in her biting sarcasm for special heartbreaking pizazz. "I'll kiss you when apples grow on lilac trees." With a roll of the eyes and a practically inaudible snort, she picked up her fallen book and began to exit the site where Beast Boy's mourning would occur.

As her footsteps began to grown distant and out of earshot, a small tear rolled down the upset changeling's cheek; the heartbreak swelling up in his lungs, heart…and everywhere, the blur of thoughts racing through his mind causing him to feel a variety of different of emotions…and numb at the same time.

And all he could think to himself was, _Why?_

_Why Raven?_

And little did he know, that the words that had struck him so painfully by the harsh and blunt-hearted empath; the words that had left him as a wounded solider gasping for air on the bleak and bloodstained battlefield were all lies.

_/The boy felt very sad at heart…she was the only one./_

It was finally time for breakfast. The 5 Titans were all scrunched up on the picnic blanket that was unfortunately too small for the whole lot of them (thanks a lot, Cyborg…). Starfire settled for nestling down into her boyfriend's laugh which caused the Boy Wonder to blush scarlet, though he had no objection to the alien princess residing there. Cyborg immediately began to devour the sunny-side-up platter of eggs resting on his left; each of the former baby chicks sliding down his throat one by one. Starfire and Robin helped themselves to the vine of grapes resting in a small bowl. The alien girl giggled as Robin began gingerly popping grapes into her mouth playfully.

"Oh, Boyfriend Robin. You are most romantic and sweet," she cooed, planting a small kiss on his cheek.

Robin couldn't help but chuckle sheepishly as he continued feeding his sweetheart more grapes. Everything seemed to be normal.

Except for Beast Boy and Raven, of course.

Raven, who was usually quiet and reserved, was even more so at that moment. Typically, she would have shot a comment at Robin and Starfire's incredibly fluffy and disturbing couple PDA, but instead, the empath only munched silently on her bacon and scrambled eggs.

Beast Boy, on the other hand, just stared at the plate of tofu bacon looking up at him exasperatedly. "Eat me," they begged. But along with his crushed heart, he had lost his appetite and joking manner. Slowly, as if in some sort of lucid trance, he grabbed an unused plastic fork and began picking and teasing at the sad strips of uneaten bacon still flopped on his untouched plate.

_Of course Raven wouldn't like me back,_ he blubbered to his poor heart, beginning to get all teary-eyed at the memory. _Why do I even feel this way for her? She treats like I'm garbage and acts like I'm a burden to our team. She shuts me out, and I don't even know if I can consider her a friend…I should hate her…I should hate her more than I hate meat._

_But Beast Boy, _his brain interrupted, immediately causing him to groan a little bit out loud. _Remember all that she's done for you? You trust her more than anyone on the team…you can talk to her about anything, and she'll try to help you out, and she doesn't judge you. You love her a lot, Beast Boy._

Feeling overly-conflicted, he unintentionally heaved a great big sigh, causing the team, excluding the freakishly silent purple haired heartbreaker, to pay their undivided attention to him.

Cyborg then noticed Beast Boy's lack of chatter and looked up from his apple pie. "Yo, B. Dude, are you okay?" he questioned, slightly stunned and upset at the green teenager's lack of participation in their what was supposed to be a "picnic celebration."

Beast Boy frigidly nodded, finding it hard to fake even the smallest of smiles. "Yeah, man. I'm just not in the mood to talk, I guess." He added a quiet chuckle in order to support the lie escaping his lips.

Robin looked up from his Starfire feeding session. "You've been quieter than usual, too, Raven. Anything you have to share with us?" The whole team focused their gazes on their teammate which caused her to shift uncomfortably in her position on the blanket.

Her eyes scanned their faces and finally landed on that of Beast Boy's. The smile was still implanted forcefully on his thin lips, but she could tell it was plastic. A fake. His eyes, though not filled with crystal clear tears, were weeping and in a deep pain that plunged through her heart, causing a lamp post to flicker on, off, and then shatter.

Guilt.

She had never seen Beast Boy so…un-Beast Boy like; so shattered and broken everywhere and in all the wrong places.

Even when Terra had left, his sadness could definitely not compare to the strong emotions the veil currently and unwillingly shrouded on his face.

And it was because of her.

Raven emerged from her previous sitting-down position and was now on her feet. "I need to be alone," she announced in almost a sorrowful whisper and floated off, leaving the 3 superheroes to speculate the causes of both of their teammates' behaviors.

_/The girl felt quite remorseful at the terrible wrong she had done./_

It was now 4:00 in the afternoon, and the Teen Titans were now back at their home sweet tower, only their normal routines were not exactly occurring like they, well, normally did. Raven was still cooped up in her room, but then again, some things never changed. The commons room was strangely still and unoccupied by anyone except for Cyborg and Beast Boy. Robin and Starfire were in Star's room, hopefully not doing unspeakable things not suited for minors, while Cyborg was trying to play a video game all by himself.

"Booyah! Just beat myself _again_ for the nineteenth time!" Cyborg whooped to no one specifically. He fist pumped about one hundred times and began looking around the commons room as if it were filled with thousands of adoring, screaming fans with giant foam fingers thrusted onto their hands. When his eyes landed on an upset Beast Boy with his face squashed into a pillow, his frivolous cheering died down.

"It's gonna be number 20 if a certain little string isn't gonna play with me," Cyborg growled irritably, using a large mechanical arm to grab the depressed changeling by the collar and hoist him up. "Man, what is wrong with you? You never say no to Super Wrestler's Mania 3!"

Beast Boy simply stared at the metal man with droopy eyes, muttered something incoherent, and trudged off into his room; the soles of his worn out shoes creating an unappealing "screech, scrawch" on the dirty floor of the tower, leaving the chrome dome confused and speechless.

Somewhere in Neverland, he purple haired empath that had caused Beast Boy such pain was still dwelling in her dark, "creepy" room at an attempt to meditate. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos…" Every chant that dripped out of her mouth had been soaking with guilt in every corner. Sighing, she finally gave up and lay upside down on her bed; the blankets and pillows becoming disheveled.

_I didn't think he cared so much,_ the empathic teen thought a bit sadly to herself. _I didn't think he meant it, either…and besides, what in Azar's name does he see in me, anyway?_

Raven began writhing slightly on her already unkempt bed, feeling strange in every possible fashion at the sheer theory of Beast Boy having un-platonic feelings for her.

_Well, it's not a theory if it's true!_ Happy sang jovially in her mind, bouncing up and down in a field with a plethora of floating strawberries and colorful butterflies.

Raven groaned out loud. _It's not true,_ she snapped at her pink cloaked Emoticlone. _It's anything but true._

_B-but Raven, y-you've liked him s-since forever…y-you thought he w-was cute the first day y-you guys m-met, r-right?_ Timid peeped from underneath her corresponding taupe colored cloak.

_NO_, Raven roared, sending Timid to cower behind The Happy Experience.

_O-okay, I'm sorry, _Timid replied in a frightened, whisper-y tone.

_Rachel Roth, do not dare deny the sentiment you feel for this peculiar changeling, _Knowledge chided with a tsk-tsk. _You have been developing emotions for him ever since the first gathering of your superhero team. You even said so yourself that he had an "adorable smile" and "eyes greener than grass growing on the best day of the spring season." I am even aware that is written in one of my books somewhere. If you want, I can-_

_No, I'd rather you not, _Raven spat, finally sitting up on her bed; arms crossed with a dissatisfied huff.

_You think he's funny, tooooooo!_ Happy giggled, rolling down a hill brimming with pink and purple flowers.

Yes, she did think he was funny. Hilarious, even.

The empath indeed knew of her feelings for Beast Boy. She had known about them ever since he and Cyborg had invaded Nevermore themselves, but of course, she had never mustered up the courage to speak to him about her feelings; in fear of a perturbing rejection and that she would suddenly lose all control of her perilous-if-not-handled-correctly powers. She had tried hitting herself in the brain with the idea that she did not feel _that _way for her jade colored teammate, hoping that if she said so enough times, she would get over him quicker. Obviously, the plan had been a complete failure so far, much to Raven's dismay.

_Come on, Rae. You need to tell him! You already rejected him in the worst way possible, and did you see the look on his face during the picnic? This is unhealthy…I mean, just 'cause you're half-demon doesn't mean you can't love,_ Affection pleaded. Raven made a slight motion with her hand, trying to shoo the persistent Emoticlone away, but Affection chose to ignore her owner's annoyance. _You both really have the hots for each other, hehe…I mean, who wouldn't like him? He's soooo nice to us even when we push him away, and he trusts us, and he never judges us…plus he is really, really attractive-_

_Alright, fine! I'll admit it…I love Beast Boy,_ Raven sighed, and all of her Emoticlones cheered gleefully (except for Rage and Timid). _After all he's done for me, how could I not? And Affection, I only push him away because I don't want him to see how much I…how much I'm in love, or like or whatever, with him, and…I don't know, I'm no good at thi_s. She stared at the ceiling lost in thought, recollecting the horrible experience she had with Beast Boy at the park.

Then she felt a few tears form in the corner of her amethyst colored eyes as she finally processed the last thing she told him before walking away with his heart bleeding and mourning in her evil clutches.

_I'll kiss you when apples grow on lilac trees._

_I can't believe I told him that, _she gasped, wanting to scream at the top of her lungs, fuming at her repulsive, almost vulgar-seeming choice of words. _I know I'm abusive of him, but that was too far…even for me. _The guilt-bearing empath then tried to picture how hurt the changeling must have been and immediately felt more tears spring wistfully onto her now gloomy eyes. _Oh my Azar. I am such a horrible person._

_Yeeeeah, you are, _Rude burped, picking her nose and licking her hand.

Ignoring the disgusting excuse of an Emoticlone, Raven shot out of her bed and paced her bedroom and tried to think of a way to fix the wrong she had committed. _Who cares if I blow anything up or if my emotions go haywire? I can't stand to live my life knowing I did something so…cruel._

_I have to fix this._

_/So, bright and early on the very next morn, he was quite surprised to see…/_

It was morning once again on planet Earth. After an immensely abnormal, awkward, atrocious, and any other "a word" with an awful definition night, the Titans were ready for things to morph back into their usual chaotic yet exciting lives. Even only one night like the previous one was enough for the five of them.

6:00 a.m. tick tocked on the clocks, and Beast Boy tossed and turned in his messy, laundry covered bed. In anguish, he reluctantly decided to get up altogether. Slipping out of his bed, he scratched his head dozily as his bare green feet met that of his stained bedroom floor.

_Another day of my useless, Raven-less life,_ he whimpered mentally, trying not to think back to the previous morning and the horrors it held in its outstretched arms. As he was about to walk out of his room, his eyes noticed a small, folded piece of cerulean paper lying patiently at the crook of his door.

Curious, the green teen bent down slowly, picked up said paper, and opened it up to reveal a pristine scrawl done carefully in purple pen.

_Beast Boy,_

_Meet me at Jump City Park at 6:30 a.m._

_Same location as yesterday: under the tall lilac tree_

_I'll explain everything there_

_-Raven_

Without much thought to the unexpected invitation, Beast Boy simply shrugged and shoved the invitation in his pocket; pondering on the vital question of whether or not he still owned any clean uniforms…

* * *

Jump City Park was bare and deserted at 6:30 a.m. just like it had been the prior day. The magnificent orange and yellow of the golden rod sun had barely begun to arise from the depths of gray clouds it slept behind. The green changeling was taking his utmost time in his stroll through the gravely quiet park as he kicked an abandoned Coca Cola can his feet had been following for about a sliver of a minute or two. Soon, a lavender scent filled Beast Boy's keen sense of smell as he walked down the countless worn-out sidewalks ornated with dried gum leading to the dreaded location of the infamous lilac tree.

_Now that I think about it, what does Raven want?_ he questioned himself. _I kinda thought she hated me after yesterday…ugh, I'm supposed to hate her, but I don't…man, it's probably just some prank…I bet I have a "Kick Me" sign taped to my back or something…_

His heart collapsed a little more at the thought of his crush hating him until…

He was stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of a slightly bruised apple rolling casually towards him. He stopped it with the tip of his shoe, and confused, he decided to look up.

He gasped. _Hold my heart,_ he mentally squealed.

_/His little sweetheart standing in the garden tying apples on the lilac tree!/_

And there stood Raven atop a crickety green ladder with a band of about a dozen cheap-looking strings in her teeth; wrapping fresh picked Granny Smith apples on the branches of the now apple-lilac tree. With an expert twist and pull of the scraggly string, the apple bobbed loosely along with its other fruity friends. She spit out the string in her mouth and couldn't fight the sincere smile starting to curl up on her lips.

And all Beast Boy could do was grin back and take a shot of breath mints.

**Well, there you have it: the end of my first fanfic! Thank you for reading. I'll be editing this a whole lot since I didn't really like it myself. Please review, and once again, thank you for everything. ^-^**

**-Hugs and hand-grenades, Izzy.**


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